Hey guys it's been awhile since I have been able to be on but life is a major upset right now, my daughter is cycling BAD right now and I just don't know how to handle it!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Friday she got hysterical while I was at work and both my husband and I had to leave work early it was a horrible night with crying wailing and her beating the walls finally she passed out from exhaustion because the meds had no effect!!!!!! Saturday was no better she was extremely loud and rude and active saturday evening she was in my lap crying all night I could not leave her side and the same thing on Sunday. Monday she was withdrawn and quiet almost depressed Tuesday DEPRESSED and writing DEATH, HATE, RAGE, ANGER all over every piece of paper she could find and even on herself would not talk about it at all. Today she called me here at work and was totally down even to the point of hiding under the fish tank because "I just want to is that ok with you" I had my older daughter go and pick her up and they just called me and the older one told me the younger one is in MANIA again I could hear her screaming and singing loudly in the back ground and screaming to go shopping when I get off work I just dont know what to do. DO I NEED TO CALL THE DOCTOR EVERYTIME SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPENS????????? Of course her appointments are never on days like this. Is this "normal" pattern for rapid cycling bipolar?
Oh by the way it is the time of the month for the "friend" so I guess I did answer my own question from before also
have a good day

hey cindy12345,

i dont know if you remember me, but i am from the SI board, but i also hang out on the depression boards, and read this one, well anywho, i kinda know what you are going thru. my younger brother, who is also 14, is bipolar, and is almost impossible during his manic states, he spent about a month in a psych hospital becasue of that. right now he is in his manic phase, and its tearing the family apart, funny thing though, my mom also blames it on me. she thinks i am bipolar too. anyways, i think during times like those, you should in fact call your doc, or if you can, get it on film if you cant call her doc. i think that if you think she will hurt herself, or is a danger to others, i think that you should contact her doc or take her to the hospital to prevent it from escalating. there were times when my younger brother hit and hurt me, now she calls the doc, or takes him to the hospital whenever his manic episodes gets to be too much.

i wish the best for you and your family, and hope that you get thru this.

Mudhound here. Yes, yes and yes. Call the doc every time she goes into one of those fits. Also, keep those papers and show them to the doc, nurse, or the emergency room doc when she gets like that.
It does sound like she needs a little more help than she is getting. When was she diagnosised? What meds is she on? Has she been to the hosp?
Sorry so many questions, but she does appear to need some additional help.

God Bless

Mudhound here. Yes, yes and yes. Call the doc every time she goes into one of those fits. Also, keep those papers and show them to the doc, nurse, or the emergency room doc when she gets like that.
It does sound like she needs a little more help than she is getting. When was she diagnosised? What meds is she on? Has she been to the hosp?
Sorry so many questions, but she does appear to need some additional help.

God Bless

Sorry it took me so long to get back on. She was diagnosed in Oct. 2003, She was in the hospital for almost the entire month of November both as an inpatient and outpatient on partial hospitalization. She take 15mg of Lexapro a day, 200mg. of Topamax per day and 100mg. Seraquel every night. She sees a phychiatrist monthly and a psychotherapist every 2 weeks but it seems like she is never in mania when she sees them. I just want my daughter to live as normal a life as possible. Does the cycling ever go away or get where you can anticipate it? Every time I talk to the doctor he just increases her medicine. She also has PCOS {polycystic ovarian syndrome} and that really messes with her seratonin level as well as all of her hormone levels She takes 2000mg. of Glucaphage per day for that Sometimes I think the 2 of them {the pcos and the bi-polar disorder tie in together} Sorry I am rambling but it's just the worried mom in me

with such a severity in symptoms, she should probably be seeing a therapist more often, once, even twice a week. have you talked to her therapist and/or psyhiatrist? they probably dont know just how severe her behavior is. my sisters therapist had no idea until we had a family session with her.....but even when she is feeling "better" she still should be seen once a week. dont be afraid to switch doctors too....

Does the cycling ever go away or get where you can anticipate it? No. At least not that I am aware of.
She may need to see a therapist more often. My wife went one time per week during an intense period. Currently, she is in a day treatment program that she attends 3 days a week. They have group therapy and social therapy that some of them need more than my wife.
I sure do understand that you want her to live a normal life. Just try as best you can to treat her like normal. I had a problem treating my wife normal because she would act so weird at times. She became almost child like. I found that I was treating her like a child. MY BAD! I had to break myself of that habit.
If you can, I would seek a second opinion from another psychiatrist. I wonder if kids can take depakote. That med has seemed to work on my wife for the mood swings.

I have told her therapist about the episodes but every time she sees him she is in a calmer state of mind. I have changed her days for visits since she seems to be worse at the end of the week. I think her meds are working very well. There is tremendous improvement since she has been taking them. I didn't mean to sound rude about "living a normal life" and I'm sorry if I did. Sometimes I get frustrated and tired also but just have to suck it up and deal with it. I do treat her "normal" she gets and does everything a 14yr. old does. In fact she is spoiled rotten but such is life
Also TO GREENSTUMPIE yes I do remember you and check often on the SI board to see how you are doing
Smiles